For thirty years, Gus Russo has been an investigative reporter, author of nine non-fiction books, and writer and/or producer of many national and international documentaries for major networks. His books have received Book of the Month Club and History Book Club Featured Selections, three have been optioned for films, and one, "The Outfit," was a Pulitzer nominee. His October 2008 book, "Brothers in Arms: The Kennedys, the Castros, and the Politics of Murder," was named Winner of the 2008 History Prize by the New York Book Festival. April 2011 saw the publication of his memoir, "Boomer Days." In 2013, he released "Where Were You?" with Tom Brokaw. A number of his book projects are in various stages of film and TV development.
Russo has worked an investigative reporter for PBS’ Frontline series, as well as ABC News Special Reports with Peter Jennings (Dangerous World: The Kennedy Years, and JFK: Beyond Conspiracy), Dan Rather’s CBS Reports, NBC's Tom Brokaw, and Jack Anderson Specials; he has been a consultant for programs such as Sixty Minutes, Sixty Minutes II, and Eye To Eye with Connie Chung; as well as documentary productions based in England, France, Germany, Japan, and Mexico. Russo has appeared on countless radio and TV programs, including NPR’s Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me!, The History Channel (numerous shows), A&E’s Biography (Jack Ruby), Hardball with Chris Matthews, NBC Nightly News, MSNBC’s Nachman, and Dan Rather’s 1993 special Who Killed JFK? Russo has been a research consultant to numerous writers, including Seymour Hersh, Gerald Posner, Anthony Summers, and Laurence Leamer, and has written for The Baltimore Sun, Variety, The Nation, The Washington Post, Book Forum, American Heritage, The Huffington Post, and for two years was a regular contributor to the health-related website Healthlynx.com. Russo produced and co-wrote a documentary feature film, "Generation 9-11," for Germany’s WDR and Academy Award-winning director Nigel Nobel.
In another life, Russo was a professional musician, composer, bandleader, and private instructor. In that incarnation, he played with, or in tandem with, many well-known acts including John Phillips, The New Mamas and Papas, Phoebe Snow, Michael Murphy, The Byrds, Livingston Taylor, Poco, Mary Travers (Peter, Paul and Mary), Commander Cody, and Firefall (w/ Rick Roberts). Russo the musician also wrote commercial jingles and low-budget film scores ("Basket Case," "Brain Damage," etc.)
He most recently fed his musical passions as leader of the Baltimore-based sextet, "String Theory," which featured ditties by Django Reinhardt, Johnny Mercer, Dan Hicks, and Nat King Cole.
